#1 - Introducing the Blog

Development in Africa has been of paramount importance to individuals for a considerable amount of time. From the multinational level, through the national and non-governmental levels, to the disparate charitable donor, there is evidence of a significant geography of care which reaches far beyond the single continent of Africa. The World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the United Nations, to name a few, alongside governmental and non-governmental actors, persist in their goal to improve the livelihoods of those living on this continent through a number of wide-reaching development projects.

These projects, particularly those orientated around water-provision, are a hugely expansive field of enquiry. Supported by the various actors mentioned, they are instrumental in progressing a communities' economic, social, environmental and political livelihood. Some facets of the water and development projects include: water in agriculture, sanitation, environmental degradation and water politics, including rights to its access. This blog, while touching on these aspects, approaches the overriding issue of gender and water within Africa; assessing if parity within gender and water can contribute to the successful development of communities, societies and countries that are fit for the modern world. A similar theory was echoed during the UN Water Conference in 1977 recognising the central role that women in particular take in water procurement, provision, management and safeguarding (Coles and Wallace, 2005). 

Empirical research suggests that it is the social, cultural, religious and historic traditions that determine women and girls as the sole provider of water for the household (Tucker, et al. 2014). Consequence of this, women and girls are susceptible to a high degree of time poverty which hinders their own capabilities and freedoms in advancing their livelihoods; whether through a lack of education, employment opportunities or simply the physical demands put upon their bodies. These water-demands can see women spending up to 9 hours a day during the dry season collecting water (UN WWW). One focus of this blog will be seeing how alleviating women's time poverty through water collection can contribute to household, community and societal advancement in a variety of settings. An example, from the rural and mountainous region of Uluguru in Tanzania, saw women spending up to 8 hours a day collecting water which was commonly linked to high rates of diarrhoea and stomach related illnesses. The quote below stands as testament to the propensity for gender equal involvement in water management schemes to advance a community:

“When women and men work together to solve the problems of our community, wonderful things can happen,” Margareth says, as the water management meeting comes to a close. “We decided in the community that fixing the water problem was a priority, and now we do not have to worry about water anymore. Instead of having to spend all our money and time on water, we can now use those resources to ensure that our children are healthy, our daughters go to school and our women are safe.” Watching her fellow committee members leave the meeting, she whispers, “Maybe I can even expand my small business and become a true business woman.” (UN WWW)

The tripartite focus of water, development and gender is the central focus here and will be developed in the weeks to come. Creating environments where gender parity exists within access to safe, near and plentiful water sources is the solution to markedly reducing aspects of health, economic and social inequalities at the intra-national and inter-national scales (Villholth, 2013). Various methods are being employed to increase the provision of water on this continent and to a varying degree of success for women. I will shed light on recent academic literature surrounding gender, water and their collaborative influence on development, while scrutinising the current development initiatives that are being employed. As the provisioning of water supplies continues, there is a growing body of literature expressing concern over the efficacy of some water supply techniques to truly alleviate water poverty. Some purport that the proliferation of market-allocated solutions such as water kiosks and dispensaries actually have a deeply negative impact on the lives of women (Grossman et al., 2004), while others promote this kind of activity in water-poor regions. It is clear that the jury is out with regards to these crucial development issues, but, through the upcoming posts, I strive to offer a glimpse into this field and I implore you to make the most of the commentary section below.

Referencing
In this series of blogposts, references made to both academic and other publications shall be in the form of hyperlinks to ensure consistency and uniformity in citing literature. These hyperlinks will direct the reader to the sources required to develop ones understanding of the processes, concepts and examples discussed so, if the reader pleases, they are able to develop a more thorough appreciation of the issues at hand between women and water within Africa.